3,000 tons a day coming to facility, which means more revenue for town

Updated 2:34 pm, Friday, November 16, 2012

Editor's note: A earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the amount of waste allowed to be dumped in the Colonie town landfill. The town is permitted to dump 170,500 tons a year.

COLONIE — The town will accept construction debris from homes destroyed in Hurricane Sandy.

The Town Board voted 7-0 Thursday to allow Capital District Landfills Inc., operator of the landfill, to accept 3,000 tons a day of construction debris. The town will receive $4 a ton for the waste, and the approval is good through yearend.

Capital District Landfills is a subsidiary of Waste Connections, the firm that received a contract last year to run the town landfill.

The town's permit allows up to 170,500 tons of waste a year, but the state Department of Environmental Conservation has agreed to allow the town to accept the added material to help clear out debris from the storm.

The material will come from Staten Island, Long Island and other areas hard hit by the storm. Some of that material is already in the area, waiting for some place to go, Town Attorney Michael Magguilli said.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation and the Army Corps of Engineers have been working to find places to take the waste left by the storm.

"There are barges tied up at the Port of Albany," Magguilli said.

Under the agreement with Capital District Landfills, the board must approve the increase in the tonnage.

Town Supervisor Paula Mahan said she did not know what the town would do with the added revenue, which could amount to more than $500,000.